A certain disconnect hung over Wednesday’s City Council workshop
on The Institute golf course
’s environmental impacts. A dozen people tried to convince the
council that the American Institute of Mathematics moving to Morgan
Hill from Palo Alto was a good thing for the city.
A certain disconnect hung over Wednesday’s City Council workshop on The Institute golf course’s environmental impacts. A dozen people tried to convince the council that the American Institute of Mathematics moving to Morgan Hill from Palo Alto was a good thing for the city.
Council did not need convincing, being well aware of AIM’s reputation and benefits.
“I don’t need convincing,” said Councilwoman Hedy Chang. “They are wonderful; we would love to have the Math Institute here.
However, on the agenda was a review of the revised draft environmental impact report for the 110-acre golf course on Foothill Avenue, developed by Corralitos LLC and John Fry, owner of Fry’s Electronics, largely without sufficient and timely permits.
The golf course and proposed math institute are on the former Hill Country complex that included the Flying Lady restaurant.
“The Math Institute and the golf course are two different things,” Chang said. “We want to make sure the course is a good neighbor.”
Mayor Dennis Kennedy also seemed puzzled.
“AIM would be wonderful for Morgan Hill,” Kennedy said, “but, nonetheless, we have to insure the course has proper permits and meets environmental requirements.”
“This isn’t about math,” said Brian Schmidt, legislative advocate for the Committee for Green Foothills. “The issue is the golf course and the need for it to cause no harm.”
Council chambers were full of speakers, some of whom had come a distance to testify for or against the golf course and the AIM.
One new problem emerged from the study session when several neighbors of the golf course told of a dense row of Italian cypress trees planted on an elevated berm completely surrounding the property’s perimeter.
“I’m concerned about our views,” said resident Rich Gamboa. “The EIR didn’t mention it. It was nice to look at the hills but soon the view will be completely obstructed.”
Council directed the city’s environmental consultants, Michelle Yesney of David Powers Consultants, to look into the view issue.
“We may have to recirculate the draft EIR if significant new scientific information is received,” said Helene Leichter, city attorney.
The next step is for the city to take comments from fish and wildlife agencies who have asked for additional time, the consultants from Powers will review public and agency comments and prepare responses and the final version of the EIR will go first to the Planning Commission and then to the council.
The draft EIR presented a list of 27 problem areas that the course is said to inflict on resident animals, vegetation and neighbors off-site, and a number of actions the course’s operators could do to fix, or mitigate, each problem.
Kennedy said he was encouraged that on this second go-round with a now-revised draft EIR, The Institute has agreed to mitigate 24 of 27 issues raised by the city’s consultants, several regional, state and federal fish, wildlife and water agencies and at least two environmental watchdog groups.
“Only four remain to be resolved,” Kennedy said. If the problems – or impacts – can be mitigated to the city’s (and agencies’) satisfaction, the council will be able to certify the EIR and play can resume on the course. Play and work were ordered to cease when a Temporary Use Permit expired last fall. At one point the city threatened to go to court.
The Institute’s backers, however, challenge some of the 27, saying either that they have already been fixed or that they are not a problem. Flooding onto Foothill Avenue is one such conflict; increased nitrate levels in downstream wells is another. The RDEIR claims the course causes flooding into the street and onto neighboring property..
Steve Sorenson, a co-founder of AIM and in charge of the golf course, told the council that the flooding occurred during one season when a drainage culvert was omitted from a new entrance road.
Denise Matulich lives near the course.
“The culvert is not adequate,” Matulich said. “We have extensive flooding that comes from the course.” She said nitrates in her well have risen over the past three years – since the course was built.
Sorenson said nitrate levels in grass and irrigation water are so carefully monitored that it was almost impossible for nitrates to end up downstream.
Tom Richardson, a golf course neighbor, proposed another source of nitrates.
“George Chiala Farms are everywhere,” Richardson said. “Nitrates come with agriculture.”
Yesney told the council that, even with months of study, it was almost impossible to derive an exact picture of the environmental effects the golf course’s construction had on the territory. The course had been constructed, habitat disturbed, hillsides graded and turf installed before work on the EIR could begin.
Green Foothill’s Schmidt said it was clear to him that the responsibility for the unsettled results was on The Institute, not the city.
“They destroyed the area first and then did the analysis,” he said. “The burden of uncertainty should be borne by the applicant who destroyed the evidence.”
Asked if he thought the two sides would agree so plans for the course and AIM can go forward, city consultant Demitri Loukas was optimistic.
“Yes I think they will,” Loukas said.
